The.looking.glass// [Open]

[Emster ♥]

Sandee padded along the soft, mossy floor of the forest, her fur standing on end from the chill autumn breeze. It was steadily getting colder and colder, and the leaves on the trees around her were a beautiful display or reds, oranges, yellows, and purples. The fea sighed as she approached the swift deer stream, taking in the beauty of it all. She could see the real advantages of living here. Sure, it was harder in some ways than living in the city, they were more isolated, and their seasons were more extreme, but they were truly free. They never had to worry about cars, or people at all with the exception of the occasional hunter, and they depended on eachother for food, and shelter, hunting, and living the savage, sweet life of the wilderness. Yawning, she looked into the crystaline surface of the water, and saw her own face reflected out of it, blue eyes almost as clear as the water, her soft, grey fur growing out longer around her face. Whatever would come her way would come, and she decided that she liked it best that way anyhow. She couldn't predict the future, nor did she want to, but she felt as if something good was coming her way. The country pack would expand, they would become a real pack, one to be reckoned with as opposed to the dank, dark alleys of the street life, and they would thrive. Eventually, Sandee herself hoped to have pups of her own to add the country pack, and thought of her mate, Urchin. He was very laid-back, her kind of dog. He was dependable, and she knew that he would support her in their building up the pack. Sandee thought with a shudder of Sin, the alpa of the streets. Why any dog would go near him, she did not know, but the stories she had heard... shaking her head, the slender female rose to her feet, and leaped down to the mud on the very edge of the water. In it, she could see the last of summer's mark, the fish still coming by every now and then, the moss turning a bit darker day by day, and the water that gently lapped the tips of her paws was a chilled liquid, shimmering in the light of the late day sun. Dipping her head, she tasted it, and felt its coolness slip over her tongue. Drinking more, she enjoyed the cleanness of the water that could only be found here. One day, she knew she would figure out how to catch those fish. Cats' work.. she thought to herself, but still, even the dead ones that washed up on shore tasted delightful, and she knew that they would provide a great additional source of food when it got scarce. They survived in the frigid waters of winter until the surface froze, after most animals had gone into hibernation. Staring at them, lost in their bright gold and orange scales, she almost did not hear the pawsteps that approached from beyond the bank behind her...

[URCHIN .]

URCHIN,
DONT HELP ME UP NOW, I CAN STAND
MY OWN GROUND, I DONT NEED YOUR
HELP NOW, YOU WILL LET ME DOWN.
________________________________

It was almost agonising to consider that not so long ago, he had been part of the city. A living, breathing monument to everything that was wrong and corrupted, he had plundered and pillaged and fought to survive within the grim streets and the dustbins that he had called home. It was no life, not for a puppy of eighteen months old who could hardly remember anything, and he had learned that the hard way - the very hard way.

There was no remorse as the Alpha rose from the position he’d been in before deciding to rise up and face the day, sewage-blue eyes surveying the forest as dew clung to his coat and grass shifted beneath his weight. He inhaled, nostrils flaring as both new and old smells of the vegetation around him greeted him like the morning sun, and as Urchin took another step forwards, he felt the gentle rays of sunrise caress his coat with a tenderness that the city never offered him.

Times had changed. In the years since he had fled the looming metropolis and entered the warmer, kinder countryside, he, too, had altered himself to the ways of the free dog. Now unbound and allowed to run without chains or restraint, Urchin was happy - happier than he had been in a long time - and his mouth quirked into the canine equivalent of a smile, or a sneaky, cheeky grin, as he started to move gracefully through the trees, a particular scent stirring him onwards.

She had come without warning, just over a year ago, and Urchin didn’t know how he knew about her - he just did. Three years her senior and he had offered to look after her, somewhat awed by the pluckiness and the downright gentleness that the bitch had displayed at just over a year old, and it was as she grew and he watched her that the male found himself entranced. He fell in love, and that was that, a coupling of two dogs who wanted nothing to do with the darkness and had since called the fields and the rolling hills their home.

Urchin faltered slightly as he caught a glimpse of her through the trees, the smile still playing on his muzzle as he watched Sandee observe the river for a while. He wondered why she had taken him as her mate, but all the same, he took a few strides towards her and halted again. To sneak up on her or to stroll up like the confident lover he was—that was the question.

Eventually, the male decided for a cross between the two, his grey fur sticking out rather obviously as he stole up behind her. The slight flicker of her ears told him that she had heard him, and it was with a gentle nuzzle that he officially announced his presence to her, muzzle burrowing into the fur of Sandee’s neck as the canine inhaled her scent and then pulled away with a mixture of pride and adoration on his face.

“Good morning,” he declared softly, eyes averting from his mate to admire the surroundings before he was drawn back to her again. “I trust you slept well?” Things like ‘pet’ and ‘love’ were still new to him, and he battled against using them until he absolutely had to, thus there was still some formality with the way that Urchin spoke to the female—his female—but he didn’t mean it.

__________________________

ooc, short, sorry. (: <3

[/font][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Emster ♥]

ooc: it was perfect Mine might be a little short tho... ♥

_______________________

Sandee felt the soft muzzle on her neck and closed her eyes as the familiar warm scent of her mate washed over her. Her clear blue eyes met his darker ones, and she brushed the tip of her tail on his back, ignoring the formality of the statement, for she knew that it was only part of his demeanor. Respectful but loving as always, and she knew that this would always be so, for he was not as so many other dogs called a master or leader he was a companion and a sense of security that calmed her in the very aura of his presence. Yes, she was young and had things to learn, so be it. She herself could not explain the upward swoop of her emotions when she first caught sight of him, being just out of puppy hood when they first met, and she had no answer when she asked herself why her heart warmed at his every touch and glance, just that is was perfect and she would not trade it for the world.

"Yes, I slept very well," she answered softly, recalling the sweet recesses of her dreams. "And you dear?"

She herself was not used to the affectionate names either, but they were beginning to get there, becoming more and more habit as time progressed. "I was just thinking... I have a feeling that we will be able to build a pack here. A free pack. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

The bitch tilted her head as she gazed again out into the river, it's waters flickering in the early sun. The gurgling and foaming symbolized new life to her, and she wondered what it would be like to share her life here with other, strange new dogs. She wondered how it would effect Urchin, and turning her soft gray head toward him, she hoped that nothing between them would change. She stretched her slender body, and dipped a paw thoughtfully into the water, awaiting his reply as her eyes followed a particularly large golden fish darting through the waters nearest the opposite bank.